Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour - Reception

Reception

Toadstool Tour received a positive reaction from critics, although it was criticised for being too similar to its predecessor. Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell commented that "Mario Golf hasn't really grown much since its time on the N64", despite enjoying the game's course design and "sense of fun". Both GameSpot and IGN praised the game's courses, although the later stages were preferred to the more basic initial courses. 1UP.com lauded the game's physics evidenced by the use of wind, weather, and surface conditions. The game was often likened to the Tiger Woods PGA Tour games, which served as a criticism when Eurogamer noted the absence of events and player progression in the game's single-player mode. This point was shared by the 1UP staff, who wanted "a more compelling single-player mode" that would offer a "golf pro who coaches me based on my swings".

The game's controls were generally well received, despite specific issues such as difficulties executing very short putts due to the game's power meter. The accessibility of the controls in particular were lauded, although Camelot's choice not to use the analogue swing present in many golf games was a common complaint. This specifically was compared to the analogue system present in Tiger Woods games, prompting Matt Casamassina to comment "going from Tiger Woods back to the mechanics of Mario Golf feels like going from car to horse". The variety of modes available in Toadstool Tour was rated as "amazing" by GameSpot, who proceeded to commend the clarification provided by the game's manual booklet and in-game tutorial. Eurogamer also noted this by offering praise to "Ring attack", but conversely rated "Coin attack" as "a bit shallow". The game's multiplayer offerings were highly regarded by most reviewers.

Many reviewers criticised Toadstool Tour's use of camera, especially when the ball's presented route would ignore obstacles. Despite noting problems with the frame rate, GameSpot welcomed the game's visuals, arguing that the recurring Mario characters "never looked better". IGN also lauded the graphics present in the full motion video and the rest of the game, as well as Toadstool Tour's audio. Matt Casamassina acknowledged the characters' voiced taunts, saying "the muttering, complaining Waluigi, never fails to bring a smile to our faces". Toadstool Tour sold 1.03 million units in North America as of December 27, 2007.